ExxonMobil is Houston bound (Dallas, Beaumont: shop, airport, train)

[First24]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Scratch what I said earlier about TI closing its Houston operations. They are in fact expanding their presence in the Houston area.

Texas Instruments' new Sugar Land facility under way - Houston Business Journal

Originally Posted by Scout_972

TI isn't expanding their presence in Houston. The new facility in Sugar Land will house the 375 employees displaced by the closing of a TI plant in Stafford (also near Houston).

Sugar Land approves incentives for Texas Instruments to build an R&D center (Updated with map, 3 p.m.) | Biz Beat Blog

Matt, just so you know.

TI has actually decreased it's Houston area presence considerably since 2012. Approximately 500+ of the 1000 employees at the, set for closure, Stafford plant were offered positions in Sherman and DALLAS.

The 375 IT employees who will move into the new Sugar Land facility, were part of a IT department imbedded within the Stafford plant.

[Dallaz]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Exxon Mobil is in Las Colinas/Irving not Dallas.

I know. I tend to say Dallas when talking about Dallas County HQ's.

[Johnhw2]

Originally Posted by JimBaker488

Any corporate entity, especially a Fortune 500 entity and most especially one of the biggest as an Exxon was and is, expects a reliable hub-carrier to be nearby and available to provide a vast airline route network of local, national, and international service/destinations. And while Exxon may indeed have what seems to be virtually unlimited financial resources to purchase as many aircraft for their own private fleet to transport their executives far and wide as needed, they still want the big hub ops close by for others like vendors, customers, and personal travel of employees' family members/friends. American provided that at DFW and then some, while there was actually much uncertainty about the future of the Continental network under the despised Lorenzo with many issues including some potentially serious of a legal nature facing that compnay.
And as one who worked in the O&G industry in the 80s and followed industry news closely, I remember the blues that Houston civic and business leaders had when Exxon chose North Texas for corporate and I also remember well the gloating that their counterparts in the Dallas area had about Exxon choosing DFW/American over Bush/Continental. Some made very vivid remarks, like Exxon's decision established the DFW area as the "white collar" capital of the state while Houston was left as the "blue collar" capital of the state with its Ship Channel.
For those not living in DFW or Houston back then and not in the petro industry' chances are they knew of none of this. But believe me there was spirited intra-state competition for the Exxon Headquarters. And I'm sure the airlines/airports was not the only factor Exxon based its decision on back then to choose Irving, but it was certainly a contributing factor.

Having an international large airport was a factor, not which airline however. The Airline industry is not very stable so making an office location based upon one airline being strong at the time you make that decision is not a controllable nor long term consistent variable an oil company can control.

[Johnhw2]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

There is no good reason for Exxon-Mobil to exist in the Dallas area.

A move to Houston where all the jobs are only makes sense. Its not bragging rights, its economics & logistics.

Why do you think TI closed its Houston operations?

So let me see if I understand you Matt, you think XOM HQ is in DFW accidentally and no thought was put into it? You may know Houston but you have no clue how XOM works. They are in Dallas intentionally for a very good reason, read the posts above and you might learn and not post drivel.

[JimBaker488]

Originally Posted by rantanamo

Exxon is an energy company, not an oil company. They have world-wide holdings and work with many different types of energy and have many different types of projects.

Just to clarify, Exxon and Chevron and Conoco and others like them are primarily if not almost exclusively Oil & Gas companies and not really "energy companies" if that term is meant to describe a company as being actively and significant involved and invested in various energy fields that include but also go beyond Oil & Nat Gas. Exxons interest in so called alternative and/or exotic energy activities outside of O&G is strictly nominal and represents an immaterial part of "what they do".

[JimBaker488]

Originally Posted by Johnhw2

Having an international large airport was a factor, not which airline however. The Airline industry is not very stable so making an office location based upon one airline being strong at the time you make that decision is not a controllable nor long term consistent variable an oil company can control.

I was in Houston and working in the industry in the late 80s and remember well what was being reported in the media of both Houston & DFW, and the stability and credibility of American Air and the absence of both from Lorenzo-led Continental was reportedly a factor in Exxon's choice of DFW/American over Bush/Continental for it's new headquarters location. I dunno, perhaps you were in Texas yourself at the time and recall otherwise ?
Now regarding your broader comment on the stability of the airline industry: with the M&A activity in the industry most recently seen in the consolidation of American & US Airways and the resulting reduction of competition with fewer airlines, seats, and flights in the industry, we may very likely be seeing a sea-change in the financial conditions and basic solvency and long-term stability of the industry, to wit investors with a long-term perspective are actually investing in airlines.

[Pete53FR]

Originally Posted by JimBaker488

I was living and working in Houston for a pipeline company by the name of Texas Eastern in the late 80s when
Exxon moved corporate from Manhatten to North Texas and I remember how pizzed-off people in Houston were because they didn't get the headquarters. So anyway FWIW, I remember that another explanation offered at the time that the Dallas-area was chosen over Houston was because of the stability of American Airlines at DFW under the management of Bob Crandall vs the zoo like atmosphere and uncertainty in Houston with the notorious Frank Lorenzo calling the shots at Houston's hub airline Continental. If others can remember back to those days, it was rumored that Lorenzo was constantly accompanied by bodyguards because he was so reviled by the airlines unions, and that was especially true on days when he flew on Continental.

I worked for Mobil Administrative Services or MASCI which had moved from New York to Dallas. They really liked Dallas cause for them selling their homes and the low taxes ended up being a big raise. However since your explanation of the Airlines makes sense cause most of them spent a lot of time flying,
'
'

[HockDad]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

There is no good reason for Exxon-Mobil to exist in the Dallas area.

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

A move to Houston where all the jobs are only makes sense. Its not bragging rights, its economics & logistics.

Why do you think TI closed its Houston operations?

It is not unusual for a company to have its headquarters in Dallas but have substantially more workers in another city. In fact, look at Exxon's neighbor inIrving. I think that they employ a couple of hundred executives and staff at headquarters in Irving but have thousands of workers in Sugarland (and a massive campus).

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by Johnhw2

So let me see if I understand you Matt, you think XOM HQ is in DFW accidentally and no thought was put into it? You may know Houston but you have no clue how XOM works. They are in Dallas intentionally for a very good reason, read the posts above and you might learn and not post drivel.

IAH is not the same airport as it was back then. There has been expansion after expansion since the early 80's. Its even more of a foreign hub/intercontinental airport than D/FW is now. D/FW is mostly international. In other words, Houston has more direct flights around the globe where D/FW has more flights throughout North America. BTW Houston has two international airports now with Hobby recently being designated one. More on that here: http://houston.culturemap.com/news/t...ms-to-be-airy/

With Exxon-Mobil's new multi billion dollar, several thousand acre campus going up in The Woodlands puts it almost just as close to a major airport as Las Colinas is to D/FW now which gives them even more incentive to leave North Texas now that they aren't all the way in downtown anymore. Before it would've been a 25-30 minute drive, now it will be more like 15-20.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

IAH is not the same airport as it was back then. There has been expansion after expansion since the early 80's. Its even more of a foreign hub/intercontinental airport than D/FW is now. D/FW is mostly international. In other words, Houston has more direct flights around the globe where D/FW has more flights throughout North America. BTW Houston has two international airports now with Hobby recently being designated one. More on that here: Houston gets airline terminal of future: New $156 million Hobby home - CultureMap Houston

With Exxon-Mobil's new multi billion dollar, several thousand acre campus going up in The Woodlands puts it almost just as close to a major airport as Las Colinas is to D/FW now which gives them even more incentive to leave North Texas now that they aren't all the way in downtown anymore. Before it would've been a 25-30 minute drive, now it will be more like 15-20.

And with all of that DFW+Love moves about 25% more people than Intercontinental+Hobby. Love opened an new terminal expansion last week as well.